8 Drivers Skip Lunch 1 More Driver Can Be Laid Off

[HEFFERNAN]

Heff, it does make a difference. If you are on a mostly resi rte then there is no reason to not take lunch during the day when you are supposed to. You have no worries about missing business.

For myself it doesnt make a difference. I have 2 hours of business with 5 on-route pickups then its straight residential til I go home. I prefer not to deliver in the dark so taking lunch between 5-6 is easier for me than 1-2.

Every route is different. I agree the all business routes [-]should[/-] have to take their lunch in the afternoon because it ruins it for the drivers close to him.

 

[old levi's]

One thing to keep in mind is that, at least in my building, most of the runners and lunch skippers are the very same junior drivers who should be worried about getting laid off.

Of course when I point this out to them I generally get a blank look, or a story that starts with "But I have to be home by 4PM because blah blah blah....."

January should be interesting.

Who in the heck gets off at 1600 even if they do skip lunch. They need a satellite route like mine that's loaded and ready to start by 1100, but still has a full days work. After the route ,it's a 40 mile drive to the house. If, you get home by 2030 that's a short day.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

One thing to keep in mind is that, at least in my building, most of the runners and lunch skippers are the very same junior drivers who should be worried about getting laid off.

Of course when I point this out to them I generally get a blank look, or a story that starts with "But I have to be home by 4PM because blah blah blah....."

January should be interesting.

Same here. We have more runners and lunch skippers in my center than I initially thought. The problem goes all the way up the seniority list though and not just the junior drivers. I'm one of two out of the bottom third of the seniority list that doesn't skip my lunch. All those drivers run straight to the operation report (what I call the "Bonus Sheet") as soon as they walk into the building. On the rare occasion it is not posted for all to see certain bonus babies will approach management and ask them to print it out so that they can see "how they did yesterday." It's pathetic. The same people bitch about fluctuating stop counts and having too many stops. The funny thing though is that they always seem to be able to get in much earlier than they should. Interesting.......

 

[steeltoe]

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I see this to be a very simple concept. If you take your lunch sometime in the middle of the day, your package car still has packages on board that are not being moved or delivered. If you do not take your lunch or take it at the end of the day, the packages have all been delivered, and there is no down time with packages on board.

To not take your lunch and to take it at the end of the day is the exact same concept as far as moving or delivering packages. I believe the goal is to have packages not being moved or delivered sometime during the route. Say you have a 1 hour lunch guarantee. If 9 people take their lunch in the middle of their route, this is 9 hours of packages not being delivered during the day, therefor creating a job. If 9 people take their lunch at the end of the day, or do not take their lunch, then this creates 9 hours of production that would not have been created if the lunch was taken in the middle of the route.

What am I missing?

 

[705red]

my supervisor is a big fat liar then because he/she told me that it was a violation of federal law if i skip my lunch.

If his lips are moving and words are coming out there's a good chance that it is lies hes speaking!

 

[But Benefits Are Great!]

Everybody complains about the weather. Nobody does anything about it.

 

[Jones]

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I see this to be a very simple concept. If you take your lunch sometime in the middle of the day, your package car still has packages on board that are not being moved or delivered. If you do not take your lunch or take it at the end of the day, the packages have all been delivered, and there is no down time with packages on board.

To not take your lunch and to take it at the end of the day is the exact same concept as far as moving or delivering packages. I believe the goal is to have packages not being moved or delivered sometime during the route. Say you have a 1 hour lunch guarantee. If 9 people take their lunch in the middle of their route, this is 9 hours of packages not being delivered during the day, therefor creating a job. If 9 people take their lunch at the end of the day, or do not take their lunch, then this creates 9 hours of production that would not have been created if the lunch was taken in the middle of the route.

What am I missing?

You're missing that while management doesn't care if a resi is delivered at 2PM or 6PM, they do care if a driver is over 9.5 paid. If you run a resi or rural route, it doesn't matter whether you take your lunch between the 4th and 6th hour or whether you take it at the end of the day, your paid day will be the same.

 

[drewed]

What are we going to do about the weather?

 

[UPS Lifer]

Heff, it does make a difference. If you are on a mostly resi rte then there is no reason to not take lunch during the day when you are supposed to. You have no worries about missing business.

If you are on a rte that is 90% business, taking your lunch at the end of the day is the worst thing you can do. The reason the rtes are both business and resi (equally or near equally split) is to accomadate for your lunch. And to have the time to get business done. If you can't take a break/lunch during the day because of the possibility of missing business then there is to much business on that rte. I do realize that you said the same thing in regards to this.

The point is, we as drivers, should be unified in the times we take our lunches and force the company to adjust our dispatch to accomadate this. The only way that is going to happen is if every single driver takes lunch within the time frame given. Otherwise we might as well be talking to a brick wall.


Newguy, don't get caught going over the time allowed for lunch. You will get fired for it. Stealing time from the company.

Believe it or not as a retired manager - I entirely support taking breaks and lunches.... but for the right reason - to rest and re-energize. Using this point - all employees need to separate their breaks and lunch to allow your mind and body time to be re-vitalized at optimum points of your day.

People who take lunches and breaks (properly) improve performance levels and have less injuries over those who do not! Simple as that!

You should separate your morning break approximately 2 hours +- into your day. Take your 1/2 hour or hour lunch between the third and fifth hour and take your last break prior to the last couple of hours of your shift.

Try to follow a schedule on a consistent basis and you will get the most benefit to taking your lunch and breaks.

 

[HEFFERNAN]

What am I missing?

An hour of doing nothing at 1pm is the same at 6pm.

You're making it more complicated than it is.
Bottom Line Is Take A Lunch.

The rule to take your lunch between the 4th and 5th hour is there to make sure you do not get harassed or forced into skipping your lunch because of missed commits. Every route is different and a senior driver will know what's the best time to stop and rest.

I tend to take my 20 minute break at 1pm so I can eat my sandwich and place my lunch at the end of the day so I can relax after. Nothing like seeing a fellow driver delivering 20 stops at 6pm while your sitting in the Dunkin Donuts having a coffee listening to satellite radio.

 

[some1else]

place my lunch at the end of the day so I can relax after.

thats not a lunch, thats waiting an hour before you clock out at the end of the day.

 

[HEFFERNAN]

thats not a lunch, thats waiting an hour before you clock out at the end of the day.

Then I guess I take a 20 minute lunch and an hour break

6 in one hand - 1/2 dozen in the other

 

[dilligaf]

Believe it or not as a retired manager - I entirely support taking breaks and lunches.... but for the right reason - to rest and re-energize. Using this point - all employees need to separate their breaks and lunch to allow your mind and body time to be re-vitalized at optimum points of your day.

People who take lunches and breaks (properly) improve performance levels and have less injuries over those who do not! Simple as that!

You should separate your morning break approximately 2 hours +- into your day. Take your 1/2 hour or hour lunch between the third and fifth hour and take your last break prior to the last couple of hours of your shift.

Try to follow a schedule on a consistent basis and you will get the most benefit to taking your lunch and breaks.

I agree with you and I willingly admit that I to do not adhere exactly with what the contract says as far as when to take breaks and lunch. I do absolutely take my lunch and breaks every day. However 90% of the time I take 45 mins between 12-2 pm, saving the last 15 for later in the day. If I am having a really bad morning I will stop and take a 15 before noon. It helps me refresh my mind and regroup.

You have to admit though, rest and re-energize is not the only reason to take your lunch and breaks. What I said about uneven dispatching is absolutely true. There needs to be a balance between business and resi and there are rtes that are not balanced, making it more difficult to do both the job and take lunch appropriately.

 

[newguy1]

i dont steal time or steal from the company, those are harsh words, i take my lunch accordingly to my day. i never clock out my 10 minute break but sometimes i take it with my lunch and sometimes i dont. sometimes i stay only 45 minutes just to not get back too late and before 7. but i always take my lunch and my numbers over/under is never more than an hour usually 30 min or less, so how am i stealing? stealing is the company taking an hour out of our pay weather we likw it or not....

i personally dont need to take my lunch, i have no problem working straight then go home, but if the company is going to take an hour from me, im gonna do the same back to them....i only take my lunch for that reason, i would much rather prefer to get home earlier and spend time with my family.

 

[dilligaf]

........... take my full hour or maybe alittle more depending on how slammed i was that day.

You wrote this not any one else. Was not trying to be harsh. If this is not what you meant then please rephrase your statement.

If you get caught going over the time put in your diad you can be terminated for it. Just a fact.

 

[NaiveRapture]

I keep seeing you guys talking about taking "breaks". I don't understand... In my DIAD I go to Timecard > Break/Lunch and I put in times equal to exactly an hour, every day. Are some of you taking other breaks over your 1 hour and recording them in your DIAD? I didn't know you could do that.

 

[outta hours]

An hour of doing nothing at 1pm is the same at 6pm.



The rule to take your lunch between the 4th and 5th hour is there to make sure you do not get harassed or forced into skipping your lunch because of missed commits. Every route is different and a senior driver will know what's the best time to stop and rest.

I tend to take my 20 minute break at 1pm so I can eat my sandwich and place my lunch at the end of the day so I can relax after. Nothing like seeing a fellow driver delivering 20 stops at 6pm while your sitting in the Dunkin Donuts having a coffee listening to satellite radio.

Except that you are in violation of the contract.

The "rules" apply to everyone hourly and management. They are to be followed everyday. It's called a contract. You cannot add or subtract from the language any more than the company can. Senior driver or rookie the time to stop is BEFORE the 8th hour. End of discussion.



Great attitude. How arrogant can you be.Bet your fellow drivers love you. They should file a grievance against you for not following the contract. And give you and add/cut that mysteriously is not in your EDD and the pkgs. have no PAL label. That will keep you out of the donut shop.

 

[HEFFERNAN]

Great attitude. How arrogant can you be.Bet your fellow drivers love you. They should file a grievance against you for not following the contract. And give you and add/cut that mysteriously is not in your EDD and the pkgs. have no PAL label. That will keep you out of the donut shop.

Between 1-2 when they are sitting at Burger King, They are laughing while I'm delivering 20 stops. Same difference. We both get in at the same time. Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill.

As long as an hour is documented in the diad, Management doesn't care.

 

[dilligaf]

I keep seeing you guys talking about taking "breaks". I don't understand... In my DIAD I go to Timecard > Break/Lunch and I put in times equal to exactly an hour, every day. Are some of you taking other breaks over your 1 hour and recording them in your DIAD? I didn't know you could do that.

Lunch goes in diad under break/lunch.

Breaks do not go in the same screen at least here they dont. We put breaks under other work - paid break (little v). Here, when you put break in break/lunch screen that is an unpaid break. If I went over a paid break I would put it in this screen (lunch/break) just to acct for the time.

We get 30 min lunch and 2 15 min pd breaks.

 

[non_bid_dawg]

I like to skip lunch, breaks and SPRINT every stop so oI can get to my computer faster so I can get on BC and complain about work!!!
haha!